Self-waiting table



June 8, 1954 B. ORLANDO 2,680,666

SELF-WAITING TABLE Filed Aug. 14, 1953 IN V EN TOR.

fizemomqpmmoz w A 7' TOR/V5 Y5 Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to tables and more particularly to a self-waiting table having a rotatable tray associated therewith.

It is an object of this invention to provide a table having a compartmented tray rotatable under the top of the table so that food and tableware may be placed in said tray and the tray rotated to the desired side of the table by manual manipulation.

It is a further object of this invention to make a table of the type described which is simple in construction and economical of manufacture.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a self-waiting table in which the rotatable tray associated therewith may be rotated in either direction, quickly and easily, by hand pressure and in which there is no complicated mechanism for the rotation of said tray, but the tray itself constituting the only moving part of the device.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following detailed description, forming the specification, taken in conjuction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the selfwaiting table embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view in perspective of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View of the device shown in Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

The self-waiting table of this invention comprises a table portion generally indicated at and a tray, generally indicated at l2, rotatable in relation to the table portion. The table portion ID has a top l4, shown as rectangular or square but may be of any desired shape, and a plurality of depending legs I6 to support the table top upon a surface, such as a floor.

With reference to Figure 2, it will be seen that the table top 14 has secured thereto an annular flange I 8 centrally of its bottom or underneath surface. The flange I8 is generally circular in shape and is provided with a plurality of apertures 20 to receive screws for attachment to the underneath surface of the table top, and the flanges also provided with a raised boss 22 which is apertured to register with the annulus of the flange l8. Secured within the apertured boss 22 and in the annulus of the flange I8 is a spindle 24 having its lower end, that is the end remote from the connection with flange l8, threaded as at 26. A wing nut 28 is carried on the threaded portion 26 of the spindle 24 and to the horizontal plane of the base 32.

constitutes means for adjusting the relative spacing between the tray 12 and the table top I 0, as will later appear.

The tray !2 is octagonal in shape and is provided with a central aperture 30 in its base 32 to receive the threaded portion 26 of the spindle 24 therethrough. A washer 3d and a nut 36 is placed on the threaded portion 26 which extends through the base 32 of tray 52, the nut 36 is threaded on to the spindle portion 26 to such extent that the base 32 of tray i2 is supported upon the washer 34 and nut 36 on the spindle 24 and is rotatably mounted between the washer 34 and the wing nut 28 which will be in contact with the upper surface of the base 32. It will be apparent, that the distance between the table top and the base of the tray may be varied by turning the wing nut 28 to different positions on the threaded portion 26 of the spindle 24.

Alternate sides of the octagonal base 32 are provided with a wall 38 extending across the peripheral edge of these alternating ,sides. Each of the walls 38 is recessed along its top edge as at 40 and each Wall 38 is upstandingly normal The alternate sides intermediate the sides having the walls 38 are of a somewhat lesser dimension and each of these narrower alternate sides of the base 32 is provided with a drawer 32 having an inverted U-shaped channel id secured to the bottom of the drawer t2 and slidable upon a complementarily formed guide rod 46 carried on the base 32 and extending normally to the peripheral edge 48 which is the narrower alternate peripheral edges of the base 32. It will be noted that the respective ends of the upstanding walls 38 are bevelled from front to rear so as to snugly receive, as well as guide, the sides 56 of each of the drawers 42.

Carried centrally of the tray 12 is a hub generally indicated at 52. Hub 52 comprises pairs of spaced upstanding sides 54 and 56 joined together along their vertical edges to form a scuare in which each side thereof is equidistant from the aperture 30 in the base 32. Each side of the hub 52 acts as a stop for each of the respective drawers 42, which drawers 42 are of such depth as to extend from the outer surface of the hub wall to be flush with the peripheral edge 48 of the tray 32 and each drawer may be conveniently provided with a knob 58 on its front wall 60 or may be provided with a recess 62 along the top of the front wall or these constructions may alternate, as shown in Figure 2.

Wtih particular reference to Figure 4, it will be seen that the adjoining walls of the pairs of walls 54 and 56 are complementarily recessed at their top corners, as at 84 and 66 respectively to provide seats 68 at each corner of the hub 52. A circular cup H3 having a relatively short laterally extending upper peripheral flange I2 is received in each of the seats 68 with the flange l2 flush with the top edge of the adjoining walls. A finger H of generally inverted U-shape in longitudinal cross section and generally cylindrical in shape has a laterally extending flange E6 which is resiliently urged by a spring '18 into contact with the lower surface of the flange 12 on the cup IE3. It will be noted that the end of the finger which extends upwardly beyond the top surface of the ad- 7 joining walls 54 and 56 is generously rounded, and

that the finger it may be depressed so as to enter the cup I0 against the force of the spring 18 when pressure is applied to the rounded end of the finger.

Turning once more to Figure 2, there will be seen a plurality of apertures 86 provided in the underside of the top 14 and in equally spaced concentric relation to the flange l8 and equidistantly spaced therefrom. Each aperture 80 is surrounded by a circular metal plate 82 secured to the underside of the table top M as by screws passed through suitable holes provided in the plates 82 and the plates 82 being of relatively narrow width are preferably countersunk into the underside of the table top It so as to present a smooth surface therewith.

In operation, the fingers 14 carried at each corner of the hub 52 will engage within respective apertures 85 so as to maintain the tray 12 in the desired rotatable position. If it is desired to rotate the tray 12 with respect to the table top i4, hand pressure applied to any of the peripheral sides of the base 32 of the tray I2 will force the fingers out of their engagement within the apertures 39 because of the rounded nature of the end of the finger, and the tray can then be rotated in either direction until it again is so turned that the fingers '14 engage with the successive apertures 80-.

As will be readily seen in Figures 1 and 2, desired foods in suitable containers may be placed in the alternating open compartments formed between the drawers 42 and are of larger area than the intervening compartmented spaces occupied by the drawers t2, and will extend diagonally across each corner of the table to while each of the narrower compartmented sections occupied by a drawer, such as drawer 52, may contain silverware or tableware for the use of the person sitting at that side of the table and will be approximately parallel to the edge of the table top i It should also be observed from Figure 3, that the tray 12 is so proportioned that the front wall of each of the drawers t2 will lie in a plane coextensively normal to the edge of the table top Hi.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that there has been provided a self-waiting table having a rotatable compartmented tray rotatable under the top of the table and which may contain an alternate compartments food to be served and tableware or silverware for the food to be served. Also, the interengageable finger and aperture means are so located that a drawer will extend generally parallel with the table top edge while the opened food containing compartments will extend diagonally across the corners of the table, and that the tray containing the opened compartments and the alternating drawers may be rotatedin either direction in increments of 90 so that a variety of foods may be held in the alternating larger opened compartments and may be rotated to the side of the table desired. It will also be evident that the construction of the present device is simple and the only movable part is the tray itself which is carried upon a spindle perpendicularly dependent from the underside of the table top.

While there is shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the structure is susceptible to change and modification within the practicability of the invention and therefore should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In a self-waiting table having a top and leg supporting said top; an annular fiange secured centrally beneath the top, a threaded spindle secured at one end in the annulus of said flange and depending perpendicularly therefrom, a plurality of apertures in the underside of said top and in equally spaced concentric relation to said ilange, and a generally octagonal food and tableware tray divided into a plurality of compartments, said tray provided with an aperture centrally therein to receive said spindle so as to be rotatable therearound and threaded means carried by the other end of said spindle to hold said tray in its rotatable relation thereon, a hub carried by said tray comprising pairs or" oppositely disposed parallel upstanding sides joined together, each pair of sides in parallel relation and equidistant from the aperture in said tray, adjoining sides being complementarily recessed at their top corners to form seats, a spring-presesd finger within each seat, each finger operatively engageable within one of said plurality of apertures in the underside of said table top so that the tray when rotated about the spindle will be releasably secured in the desired rotated position.

2. In a self-waiting table having a top and leg supporting said top; an annular flange secured centrally beneath the top, a threaded spindle secured at one end in the annulus of said flange and depending perpendicularly therefrom, a plurality of apertures in the underside of said top and in equally spaced concentric relation to said flange, and a generally octagonal food and tableware tray divided into a plurality of compartments, said tray provided with an aperture centrally therein to receive said spindle so as to be rotatable therearound and threaded means carried by the other end of said spindle to hold said tray in its rotatable relation thereon, a hub carried by said tray comprising pairs of oppositely disposed parallel upstanding sides joined together, each pair of sides in parallel relation and equidistant from the aperture in said tray, adjoining sides being complementarily recessed at their top corners to form seats, a spring-pressed finger within each seat, each finger operatively engageable within one of said plurality of apertures in the underside of said table tops so that the tray when rotated about the spindle will be releasably secured in the desired rotated position, said threaded means comprising a wing nut adjustable upon said spindle so as to selectively vary the distance between the table top and the tray, said tray having a base in which said central spindle receiving aperture is provided, said wing nut contacting the upper surface of said base, and a nut and washer threadedly carried by the lower said spindle, the nut and washer contacting the lower surface of said base so as to rotatably retain the tray 0n the spindle.

3. In a self-waiting table having a topand leg supporting said top; an annular flange secured centrally beneath the top, a threaded spindle secured at one end in the annulus of said flange and depending perpendicularly therefrom, a plurality of apertures in the underside of said top and in equally spaced concentric relation to said flange, and a generally octagonal food and tableware tray divided into a plurality of compartments, said tray provided with an aperture centrally therein to receive said spindle so as to be rotatable therearound and threaded means carried by the other end of said spindle to hold said tray in its rotatable relation thereon, a hub car ried by said tray comprising pairs of oppositely disposed parallel upstanding sides joined together, each pair of sides in parallel relation and equidistant from the aperture in said tray, adjoining sides being complementarily recessed at their top corners to form seats, a flange cup in each of said seats, a flange finger retained within said cup, a spring within the cup urging said finger to project from said cup, each finger operatively engageable within one of said plurality of apertures in the underside of said table top so that the tray when rotated about the spindle will be releasably secured in the desired rotated position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

